MOSCOW, November 15, 2013 (RIA Novosti) – Russians now face fines for smoking in public places, including near metro stations and airports, under new amendments to a broad anti-tobacco law that came into force Friday.

Smoking within 15 meters (50 feet) of entrances to the metro, train stations and airports, as well as near hospitals, schools and playgrounds, is now punishable by fines of 500 to 3,000 rubles ($15-$90) in Russia, where nearly half the adult population smokes.

Though the ban on smoking in public places came into force on June 1, the offense was not fineable until November 15.

Fines on tobacco advertising and enticing minors to smoke also came into force Friday.

Encouraging under-18s to smoke will incur fines of 1,000-2,000 rubles ($30-$60), or up to 3,000 rubles ($90) if the smoking advocate is the minor’s parent or acquaintance.

Smoking propaganda – including advertising special deals like two packs of cigarettes for the price of one or distributing cigarettes for free – is punishable by fines of 2,000-4,000 rubles ($60-$120) for individuals, 5,000-25,000 rubles ($150-$765) for officials, and 80,000-600,000 rubles ($2,450-$18,360) for legal entities.

The final part of the anti-smoking law, which President Vladimir Putin signed in February, will take effect next year. Starting June 1, 2014, smoking in a number of other public places, including cafes and restaurants, will also be forbidden.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev targeted tobacco as a pet project last year, an initiative greeted positively, for the most part, in Russian society.

A 2013 survey by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center found that more than 75 percent of Russians support a ban on smoking in public.

Some 60 percent of men and nearly 22 percent of women in Russia are smokers, according to a 2010 study by the World Health Organization. Russian officials have estimated that the new anti-tobacco legislation will save 200,000 lives a year.

I would not agree with that statement "the west is a couple of decades ahead of russia", in many areas the West may be ahead but Russia's ban on marijuana is stemming from care and consideration they have for their own people and the future of their country. Marijuana may have some beneficial use & effects, like their use in medicine and like making the stressed persons be relaxed and happy for few minutes (followed by a bad habit of addiction), so indeed the damage they do to individuals and society far out-waits those superficial goods. Does marijuana do any good to the spirit of man inside him? IT DOES NOT! Hence Russia is more spiritually advanced than the West now; their short-coming is from their character molded through centuries, namely: They enjoy "bullying" others. A bully is commonly known as a person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people.

I have never seen "penlites" written in USA for tobacco smokers but they are doing it in Russia. As to the other point, if you take an American well-used bill, like $20 for example, and do lab test on it, the result will be many drugs residues coming from it. If you have a dog's nose and rub your finger on that well-used bill, then bring your fingers to your dog's noise --you would smell drugs. This has not happened in Russia yet with their paper-money.

Re the contaminated bill, it neither proves anything nor is it related to anything above...
May Russians buy drugs by coins? Or they barter? A bag of weed costs half a chicken? Maybe the Russian dogs are too drunk or inadequately trained to detect drugs? Or maybe the ruble notes are of such horrible quality that they take them out of circulation after 5 days? Or wait a minute... Maybe Russians are good at money laundering? That must be it! What do you say?